Monthly update - December 2023
Introduction
Welcome to the third of these monthly summary newsletters, whose purpose is to announce any major changes to the publication; serve as an index to reference articles published on the Substack (since Substack does not provide any way currently to group historical newsletters in the mobile apps); and provide a reminder of the watches that I currently have available for sale, including the announcement of any discounts on prices previously listed.
You can read the previous monthly summaries here -
Contacting me
Something rather odd has become apparent to me recently in that it seems to be rather opaque within the Substack ecosystem with regards how to get in touch privately (as opposed to leaving a message on a post, or using the chat functionality), particularly if you primarily use a browser or the Substack application to read the newsletters, so I think it’s probably worth clarifying how it’s done. It is simple, but it’s obviously not clear!
If you receive the newsletters by email, the simplest way to get in touch is to simply reply to that email.
You can email any Substack author simply by sending an email to them at their Substack name at Substack dot com, so mine would be thegrandseikoguy(at)substack.com
If you want to get in touch with me regarding anything not directly related to a Substack newsletter, you can use the above email address, or contact(at)thegrandseikoguy.com
Membership tiers
Last month, I added the concept of a “Founding Member” subscription to this Substack. This is a membership tier that was created by Substack so that subscribers could choose to pay more than the listed price for a paid subscription as an extra show of support for a writer. Approximately 10% of my paid subscribers have signed up as Founding Members, and I am extremely grateful for your generosity - thank you!
A reminder of the three levels of membership, and their benefits -
Free subscribers
The monthly update newsletters in full
First Friday newsletter of the month paywalled (the paywall break will be inserted after I have detailed the first of the recommended watches from that week’s Yahoo Japan Auctions)
Paywalled feature articles such as the “Primers”
Watches for sale - 1 week delayed publication subsequent to offering to those with paid subscriptions
Paid subscribers
All content currently published
All future content as it is published - this includes the regular Friday newsletter, plus feature articles, watches for sale, etc.
10% off the listed price for any watch offered for sale with no time restriction on when the discount can be applied (this can be applied retrospectively to watches offered for sale in the past that remain available, up until such time as I reduce the original list price for all).
Founding Member subscribers
All the benefits detailed above under “Paid membership”, plus -
An additional 5% off the listed price of any watch offered for sale, with no time restriction on when the discount can be applied (this can be applied retrospectively to watches offered for sale in the past that remain available, up until such time as I reduce the original list price for all).
An invitation to join a bimonthly (every two months) ‘Zoom’ call to meet up with one another and discuss anything related to vintage Grand Seiko.
How to change your subscription tier
If you are currently a free subscriber, and wish to change to a paid tier, you can follow the guide here.
If you are currently a paid subscriber, and wish to change your subscription plan, please follow the guide here.
Watches for sale
Although I originally intended to list a new watch for sale on every Monday, this soon proved to be a little too ambitious, and so currently am running on average at a new listing every couple of weeks.
Paid subscribers get a 10% discount on the original listed price of a watch, and Founding Members get a 15% discount on the original listed price of a watch. There is no cut-off period for how long these discounts are available whilst the watch is listed at its original price.
Should a watch hang around for a while and I’m still looking to find it a loving new home, I will use this monthly newsletter to announce any permanent price reductions. Any reduced prices are the prices for all subscribers - no further discounts at this stage for paid or Founding Member subscribers.
At my discretion, I reserve the right to withdraw a watch from sale at any time. Should I plan in advance to do this, it will either be mentioned in the original listing, or it will be highlighted in this summary newsletter.
The following are links to newsletters detailing the watches that - at time of publication - are currently available for purchase. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with me should you have any questions about the watches, or if there is something specific you are looking for that you don’t see here. This is just a small fraction of what I have in the collection.
The first two watches are currently only available to those with paid subscriptions. They will be available for anyone to purchase from Monday 11th December. If either watch sells, the other will be withdrawn. Should neither watch sell by the end of the month, both will be withdrawn.
Listed at $65,000. Paid subscribers can take 10% off, Founding Members can take 15% off.
Listed at $80,000. Paid subscribers can take 10% off, Founding Members can take 15% off.
Listed at $2,500. Paid subscribers can take 10% off, Founding Members can take 15% off.
SOLD
Originally listed at $2,800, now priced at $2,200. No further discount for paid or Founding Member subscribers.
Listed at $5,000. Paid subscribers can take 10% off, Founding Members can take 15% off.
NOTE - this watch will be withdrawn from sale on December 31st 2023.
Originally listed at $13,500, now priced at $11,000. No further discount for paid or Founding Member subscribers.
NOTE - this watch will be withdrawn from sale on December 31st 2023.
Reference articles
I have published a number of reference articles here, which can be easily found should you be viewing Substack in a browser. For ease of reference for those who read primarily in the Substack app, here are some links to those articles, along with a brief description of their content.
Note - all the content linked to here will be paywalled by January 1st 2024.
The first Grand Seiko - a primer for collectors
Vintage Grand Seiko Buckles
Vintage Grand Seiko Buckles
Thanks for reading!
Ok that’s it for this month.
As mentioned earlier, I would very much welcome any and all feedback. Unlike many who publish on Substack, I’m not by any stretch of the imagination a professional writer - I just felt it would provide a more connected and interactive way to share my passion for vintage Grand Seiko than a simple website, and I remain very happy with the way things are going.